US20230164902A1 - Laser sustained plasma and endoscopy light source - Google Patents
Laser sustained plasma and endoscopy light source Download PDFInfo
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- US20230164902A1 US20230164902A1 US17/977,870 US202217977870A US2023164902A1 US 20230164902 A1 US20230164902 A1 US 20230164902A1 US 202217977870 A US202217977870 A US 202217977870A US 2023164902 A1 US2023164902 A1 US 2023164902A1
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Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05H—PLASMA TECHNIQUE; PRODUCTION OF ACCELERATED ELECTRICALLY-CHARGED PARTICLES OR OF NEUTRONS; PRODUCTION OR ACCELERATION OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR OR ATOMIC BEAMS
- H05H1/00—Generating plasma; Handling plasma
- H05H1/02—Arrangements for confining plasma by electric or magnetic fields; Arrangements for heating plasma
- H05H1/22—Arrangements for confining plasma by electric or magnetic fields; Arrangements for heating plasma for injection heating
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J65/00—Lamps without any electrode inside the vessel; Lamps with at least one main electrode outside the vessel
- H01J65/04—Lamps in which a gas filling is excited to luminesce by an external electromagnetic field or by external corpuscular radiation, e.g. for indicating plasma display panels
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
- H01J61/02—Details
- H01J61/025—Associated optical elements
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
- H01J61/02—Details
- H01J61/12—Selection of substances for gas fillings; Specified operating pressure or temperature
- H01J61/16—Selection of substances for gas fillings; Specified operating pressure or temperature having helium, argon, neon, krypton, or xenon as the principle constituent
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
- H01J61/02—Details
- H01J61/30—Vessels; Containers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
- H01J61/02—Details
- H01J61/54—Igniting arrangements, e.g. promoting ionisation for starting
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
- H01J61/02—Details
- H01J61/54—Igniting arrangements, e.g. promoting ionisation for starting
- H01J61/545—Igniting arrangements, e.g. promoting ionisation for starting using an auxiliary electrode inside the vessel
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
- H01J61/02—Details
- H01J61/54—Igniting arrangements, e.g. promoting ionisation for starting
- H01J61/548—Igniting arrangements, e.g. promoting ionisation for starting using radioactive means to promote ionisation
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05G—X-RAY TECHNIQUE
- H05G2/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for producing X-rays, not involving X-ray tubes, e.g. involving generation of a plasma
- H05G2/001—X-ray radiation generated from plasma
- H05G2/008—X-ray radiation generated from plasma involving a beam of energy, e.g. laser or electron beam in the process of exciting the plasma
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B1/00—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor
- A61B1/06—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor with illuminating arrangements
- A61B1/063—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor with illuminating arrangements for monochromatic or narrow-band illumination
Definitions
- the present invention relates to illumination devices, and more particularly, is related to high-intensity arc lamps.
- High intensity arc lamps are devices that emit a high intensity beam of electromagnetic radiation.
- the lamps generally include a gas containing chamber, for example, a glass bulb, with an anode and cathode that are used to excite the gas (ionizable medium) within the chamber.
- An electrical discharge is generated between the anode and cathode to provide power to the excited (e.g. ionized) gas to sustain the light emitted by the ionized gas during operation of the light source.
- FIG. 1 shows a pictorial view and a cross section of a low-wattage parabolic Xenon lamp 100 .
- the lamp is generally constructed of metal and ceramic.
- the fill gas, Xenon, is inert and nontoxic.
- the lamp subassemblies may be constructed with high-temperature brazes in fixtures that constrain the assemblies to tight dimensional tolerances.
- FIG. 2 shows some of these lamp subassemblies and fixtures after brazing.
- a cathode assembly 3 a contains a lamp cathode 3 b, a plurality of struts holding the cathode 3 b to a window flange 3 c, a window 3 d, and getters 3 e.
- the lamp cathode 3 b is a small, pencil-shaped part made, for example, from thoriated tungsten.
- the cathode 3 b emits electrons that migrate across a lamp arc gap and strike an anode 3 g. The electrons are emitted thermionically from the cathode 3 b, so the cathode tip must maintain a high temperature and low-electron-emission to function.
- the cathode struts 3 c hold the cathode 3 b rigidly in place and conduct current to the cathode 3 b.
- the lamp window 3 d may be ground and polished single-crystal sapphire (AlO2). Sapphire allows thermal expansion of the window 3 d to match the flange thermal expansion of the flange 3 c so that a hermetic seal is maintained over a wide operating temperature range.
- the thermal conductivity of sapphire transports heat to the flange 3 c of the lamp and distributes the heat evenly to avoid cracking the window 3 d.
- the getters 3 e are wrapped around the cathode 3 b and placed on the struts.
- the getters 3 e absorb contaminant gases that evolve in the lamp during operation and extend lamp life by preventing the contaminants from poisoning the cathode 3 b and transporting unwanted materials onto a reflector 3 k and window 3 d.
- the anode assembly 3 f is composed of the anode 3 g, a base 3 h, and tabulation 3 i.
- the anode 3 g is generally constructed from pure tungsten and is much blunter in shape than the cathode 3 b. This shape is mostly the result of the discharge physics that causes the arc to spread at its positive electrical attachment point.
- the arc is typically somewhat conical in shape, with the point of the cone touching the cathode 3 b and the base of the cone resting on the anode 3 g.
- the anode 3 g is larger than the cathode 3 b, to conduct more heat. About 80% of the conducted waste heat in the lamp is conducted out through the anode 3 g, and 20% is conducted through the cathode 3 b.
- the anode is generally configured to have a lower thermal resistance path to the lamp heat sinks, so the lamp base 3 h is relatively massive.
- the base 3 h is constructed of iron or other thermally conductive material to conduct heat loads from the lamp anode 3 g.
- the tabulation 3 i is the port for evacuating the lamp 100 and filling it with Xenon gas.
- the reflector assembly 3 j includes the reflector 3 k and two sleeves 3 l.
- the reflector 3 k may be a nearly pure polycrystalline alumina body that is glazed with a high temperature material to give the reflector a specular surface.
- the reflector 3 k is then sealed to its sleeves 3 l and a reflective coating is applied to the glazed inner surface.
- FIG. 3 A shows a first perspective of a cylindrical lamp 300 .
- Two arms 345 , 346 protrude outward from the sealed chamber 320 .
- the arms 345 , 346 house a pair of electrodes 390 , 391 , which protrude inward into the sealed chamber 320 , and provide an electric field for ignition of the ionizable medium within the chamber 320 .
- Electrical connections for the electrodes 390 , 391 are provided at the ends of the arms 345 , 346 .
- the chamber 320 has an ingress window 326 where laser light from a laser source (not shown) may enter the chamber 320 .
- the chamber 320 has an egress window 328 where high intensity light from energized plasma may exit the chamber 320 .
- Light from the laser is focused on the excited gas (plasma) to provide sustaining energy.
- the ionized media may be added to or removed from the chamber with a controlled high pressure valve 398 .
- FIG. 3 B shows a second perspective of the cylindrical lamp 300 , by rotating the view of FIG. 3 A ninety degrees vertically.
- a controlled high pressure valve 398 is located substantially opposite the viewing window 310 .
- FIG. 3 C shows a second perspective of the cylindrical lamp 300 , by rotating the view of FIG. 3 B ninety degrees horizontally.
- the interior profile of the chamber 320 matches the exterior profile of the chamber 320 .
- An endoscope is an illuminated optical, typically slender and tubular instrument (a type of borescope) used to look deep into the body and used in procedures called an endoscopy. It is used to examine the internal organs like the throat or esophagus. Specialized instruments are named after their target organ. Examples include the cystoscope (bladder), nephroscope (kidney), bronchoscope (bronchus), arthroscope (joints) and colonoscope (colon), and laparoscope (abdomen or pelvis). They can be used to examine visually and diagnose, or assist in surgery such as an arthroscopy. Endoscope light generating sources are typically located remotely from a light emitting aperture near the illumination target. Light is conveyed from the light source to the emitting aperture via a light guide, such as an optical fiber.
- Minimally invasive endoscopic and robotic surgeries are driven by fiber optic light sources.
- the fibers are typically in the range of 3 . 0 to 4 . 8 mm in diameter.
- present light sources may experience a loss of radiance that may be problematic for example, in the fields of endoscopic and robotic surgery practice.
- the diameter of the fibers guiding the light is more and more prohibitive in an environment where there is a need for imaging channels and in some cases tool actuation channels in the same fiber bundle.
- the present trend is to seek more information out of the available space which is driving the diameter of the fibers down. For example, smaller fiber bundles may enable procedures that are currently not possible with current methods and devices.
- Embodiments of the present invention provide a laser sustained plasma and endoscopy light source. Briefly described, the present invention is directed to applications where high brightness or irradiance is delivered through small diameter light guides or fibers less than 1 mm so more space is available for imaging fibers and/or laser delivery fibers.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a high intensity lamp in exploded view.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the high intensity lamp of FIG. 1 in cross-section view.
- FIG. 3 A is a schematic diagram of a cylindrical laser driven sealed beam lamp.
- FIG. 3 B is a schematic diagram of the cylindrical laser driven sealed beam lamp of FIG. 3 A from a second view.
- FIG. 3 C is a schematic diagram of the cylindrical laser driven sealed beam lamp of FIG. 3 A from a third view.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary first embodiment of lamp having a cylindrical plasma lamp chamber.
- FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary second embodiment of lamp having a parabolic plasma lamp chamber.
- FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a method for producing high intensity light coupled to a small diameter light guide.
- FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram detail of lamp electrodes for the first embodiment of FIG. 4 .
- black body refers to an object capable of absorbing all the electromagnetic radiation falling on it.
- a black body maintained at a constant temperature is a full radiator at that temperature because the radiation reaching and leaving it must be in equilibrium.
- a black body spectrum refers to the spectrum of electromagnetic waves a black body is able to emit.
- collimated light is light whose rays are substantially parallel, and therefore will spread minimally as it propagates.
- substantially means “very nearly,” or within normal manufacturing tolerances.
- a substantially flat window while intended to be flat by design, may vary from being entirely flat based on variances due to manufacturing.
- minimally invasive and robotic surgeries typically use fiber optic light sources in the 3 . 0 to 4 . 8 mm diameter range.
- the following exemplary embodiments of the present invention describe an endoscopic light source configured to provide white light with a black body spectrum into a 200 - 500 micrometer fiber diameter.
- a combination laser source 420 may include a plurality of laser driver units 102 - 104 . Each laser driver unit 102 - 104 may emit a different wavelength/waveband and/or intensity of light. The light from the laser driver units 102 - 104 is combined in a light conduit 401 , for example an optical fiber and emitted via an optical expander 105 . Egress optics for the combination laser source 420 may be configured differently for alternative embodiments. Similarly, in alternative embodiments the combination laser source 420 may include more than three driver units or less than three driver units.
- a first laser driver unit 102 provides a portion of the beam 405 .
- the beam 405 is collimated via an ingress collimator 106 and focused into a plasma sustaining beam 407 , for example, via focusing optics 107 .
- the plasma sustaining beam 407 enters a sealed cylindrical chamber of a lamp 108 via an ingress window 109 .
- the lamp 108 may be a cylindrical lamp.
- the sealed chamber of the lamp 108 contains an ionizable media 425 , for example, Xenon, Krypton or a mix of Xenon and Krypton.
- the ionizable media 425 once ignited, forms a plasma 430 that emits a high intensity light 410 .
- the plasma 430 is sustained by the energy from the first laser driver unit 102 via the plasma sustaining beam 407 .
- the plasma 430 may be ignited (ionized) by an electronic ignition module 114 , for example, electrodes 790 , 791 ( FIG. 7 ).
- the electronic ignition module 114 may provide electrical power to the electrodes 790 , 791 via electrical connections in arms 745 , 746 ( FIG. 7 ) of the lamp 108 .
- the electronic ignition module 114 may be omitted, and the plasma may be ignited without electrodes, for example via auto-ignition by the first laser driver unit 102 .
- the high intensity egress light 410 exits the chamber of the lamp 108 via an egress window 110 and is optically coupled to an exit fiber 113 .
- the high intensity egress light 410 may be substantially white in color and may be collimated into a collimated beam 411 via egress collimating optics 111 , and then focused into an ingress surface 413 of the exit fiber 113 via egress focusing optics 112 .
- the collimating optics 111 may be as simple as a single positive lens, a multi lens beam expander based on positive and negative lens assembly or a parabolic mirror or combination of parabolic mirror and a combination of positive and negative lenses.
- the light is emitted at an egress surface 414 , for example, the egress surface located at a far end of an endoscope near an illumination target.
- the exit fiber 113 has a fiber diameter 415 in the range of, for example, 200-500 micrometers.
- the first laser driver unit 102 may generate a plasma in a Xenon, Krypton or mixed noble gas under pressures within the lamp 108 ranging from 10 bar to 50 bar with a plasma waist size of 150 microns or less that may be efficiently coupled into the diameter of the exit fiber 113 , which is not possible with the standard endoscope light sources, for example a xenon short arc solution or non-laser solid state light sources.
- the standard endoscope light sources for example a xenon short arc solution or non-laser solid state light sources.
- a second laser driver unit 104 having a wavelength different from the first laser driver unit 102 may produce an 803 nm (or other wavelength) 10-100 mW beam that may be mixed with the plasma sustaining beam produced by first laser driver unit 102 for fluorescence based diagnostics.
- the light from the second laser driver unit 104 is preferably mixed with visible light at the output of the lamp 108 to excite dyes for fluorescence techniques.
- the fluorescence exciting beam produced by the second laser driver unit 104 may be mixed with the high intensity light at the output of the lamp 108 .
- the beams may be mixed using a dichroic coated mirror under 45 degrees that reflects one wavelength and passes the other wavelength, where the two beams to be mixed are orthogonal while the mixing mirror is under 45 degrees.
- a mix cube may be used with the same functionality. The diagonal of the cube is the mixing surface while the facets where the beams enter (orthogonally) may be coated with specific coatings to shape the properties of said beams.
- the first laser driver unit 102 for example a 150 W laser diode stack is coupled, for example through beam correction optics (not shown) into a light conduit 401 .
- Beam correction optics or shaping optics as described and needed here are used to shape the elevated diode stack light output having a different divergence in the horizontal and vertical plane into a more symmetrical beam pattern with mostly equal divergence in all directions.
- the light conduit 401 may be for example a 200 micrometer laser fiber keeping, for example, 95% of the power in a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.15 but other NA ranges may be practical, for example, 90% of power in a 0.2 NA or even 80% of power in a 0.3 NA. The latter two examples will exhibit lower system output but that may still be sufficient for some applications.
- NA numerical aperture
- a third laser driver unit 103 producing visible light for example, a low power red laser under 5 mW may be mixed with the output of the first laser driver unit 102 and/ or the second laser driver unit 104 so the optical alignment of all optical components 105 , 106 , 107 , 111 , 112 and the lamp 108 can be performed using visible light instead of using other means, for example, IR convertors to visualize the location of the 979 nm wavelength beam.
- the output of the light conduit 401 may be terminated into a fiber connector (not shown) allowing for a modular approach to change out the laser drive unit(s) 102 , 103 , 104 .
- the fiber connector is coupled to beam conditioning optics, for example, the optical expander 105 , the ingress collimator 106 , for example a collimating lens, and the ingress focusing optics 107 , for example a focusing lens.
- the optical expander 105 shapes the beam waist of the laser in the focusing point.
- the NA of the ingress focusing optics 107 is preferably in the 0.4-0.6 range.
- the lamp may be configured as a cylindrical sealed cavity lamp 108 , as shown in FIG. 4 with a sapphire ingress window 109 for laser entry and a sapphire egress window 110 for high intensity visible egress light.
- the cylindrical sealed cavity lamp 108 generates an expanding beam 410 with a NA of 0.4-0.6.
- Egress collimating optics 111 receives and collimates the expanding beam 410 to produce a collimated high intensity beam 411 , and an egress focusing optic 112 at the output of the lamp 108 focuses the collimated light 411 into a focused output light 412 which is introduced into the exit fiber 113 .
- FIG. 5 A second exemplary embodiment of an endoscopic light source 500 is shown in FIG. 5 .
- the combination laser source 420 , the lamp ingress optics 106 , 107 , the egress focusing optic 112 and the exit fiber 113 are substantially as described in the first embodiment shown by FIG. 4 .
- the lamp may be configured as a parabolic reflector cavity design lamp 208 with a sapphire ingress window 109 for laser entry and a sapphire egress window 110 for high intensity visible egress light.
- the lamp ingress optics 106 , 107 focus the plasma sustaining beam 407 to a lamp focal region 530 of the parabolic reflector cavity design lamp 208 , so the plasma 430 energized by the plasma sustaining beam 407 is located at the lamp focal region 530 .
- the parabolic reflector cavity design lamp 208 reflects the high intensity light generated by the plasma 430 to produce a collimated beam 511 with a beam size limited by a diameter the egress window 110 and a configurable divergence.
- the divergence of a parabolic reflector is determined by the diameter (or aperture) of the parabolic mirror (assuming the parabolic mirror is fully filled by the expanded light) divided by the light source (plasma) point size using, for example, a point size on the order of 150 micron, the divergence is about eight times smaller than a typical xenon lamp for endoscopy, thereby coupling more light into the exit fiber 113 than previous techniques.
- the egress focusing optic 112 at the output of the lamp 208 focuses the collimated beam 511 into a focused output light 512 which is introduced into the exit fiber 113 .
- FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a method for producing high intensity light coupled to a small diameter light guide. It should be noted that any process descriptions or blocks in flowcharts should be understood as representing modules, segments, portions of code, or steps that include one or more instructions for implementing specific logical functions in the process, and alternative implementations are included within the scope of the present invention in which functions may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those reasonably skilled in the art of the present invention. The method is described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 6 .
- a plasma sustaining beam 407 having a power at or below 150 W is generated, for example, by a first laser driver unit 102 as shown by block 610 .
- One or more other light sources may be mixed into the plasma sustaining laser beam, for example, an output of a second laser driver unit 104 producing a wavelength different from the first laser driver unit 102 , for example, an 803 nm 10-30 mW laser ⁇ 15 nm, and/or an output of a third laser driver unit 103 producing visible light, for example, a low power red laser.
- the second laser driver unit 104 preferably produces 5-10 mW of equivalent power.
- An ionizable medium 425 is ignited within a sealed chamber of a lamp 108 to form a plasma 430 , as shown by block 620 .
- the ionizable medium 425 may be Xenon, Krypton, or a mixture of Xenon and Krypton, among others.
- the ionizable medium 425 may be ignited, for example, with a pair of electrodes 790 , 791 ( FIG. 7 ) extending into the chamber of the lamp 108 , by the first laser driver unit 102 , and/or by non-electrode ignition agents (not shown).
- the plasma sustaining beam 407 is introduced into the sealed chamber of the lamp 108 via an ingress window 109 , and the plasma sustaining beam 407 provides energy to sustain the plasma 430 as shown by block 630 .
- the plasma 430 is sustained within the chamber of the lamp 108 with a plasma waist size of 150 microns or below as shown by block 640 .
- the waist size may be controlled via the power level of the first laser driver unit 102 , and/or by the lamp ingress optics 105 , 106 , 107 .
- the plasma 430 emits a high intensity light 410 , for example, a visible light exhibiting a black box spectra.
- the chamber of the lamp 108 emits the high intensity light 410 generated by the plasma 430 through a chamber egress window 110 as shown by block 650 .
- the high intensity light 410 may be collimated into a collimated beam 411 via egress collimating optics 111 , and then focused to form a focused output light 412 .
- the focused output light 412 is coupled into an exit fiber 113 having a diameter of 500 ⁇ m or less as shown by block 660 , for example, 200-500 micrometers.
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- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Spectroscopy & Molecular Physics (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Endoscopes (AREA)
- Laser Surgery Devices (AREA)
- Instruments For Viewing The Inside Of Hollow Bodies (AREA)
- Discharge Lamp (AREA)
- Vessels And Coating Films For Discharge Lamps (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/704,029, filed on Dec. 5, 2019, and entitled “LASER SUSTAINED PLASMA AND ENDOSCOPY LIGHT SOURCE,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/776,006, filed on Dec. 6, 2018, entitled “LASER SUSTAINED PLASMA AND ENDOSCOPY LIGHT SOURCE.” The contents of each of these applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
- The present invention relates to illumination devices, and more particularly, is related to high-intensity arc lamps.
- High intensity arc lamps are devices that emit a high intensity beam of electromagnetic radiation. The lamps generally include a gas containing chamber, for example, a glass bulb, with an anode and cathode that are used to excite the gas (ionizable medium) within the chamber. An electrical discharge is generated between the anode and cathode to provide power to the excited (e.g. ionized) gas to sustain the light emitted by the ionized gas during operation of the light source.
-
FIG. 1 shows a pictorial view and a cross section of a low-wattageparabolic Xenon lamp 100. The lamp is generally constructed of metal and ceramic. The fill gas, Xenon, is inert and nontoxic. The lamp subassemblies may be constructed with high-temperature brazes in fixtures that constrain the assemblies to tight dimensional tolerances.FIG. 2 shows some of these lamp subassemblies and fixtures after brazing. - Referring to
FIG. 1 andFIG. 2 , there are three main subassemblies in the lamp 100: cathode; anode; and reflector. Acathode assembly 3 a contains alamp cathode 3 b, a plurality of struts holding thecathode 3 b to awindow flange 3 c, awindow 3 d, andgetters 3 e. Thelamp cathode 3 b is a small, pencil-shaped part made, for example, from thoriated tungsten. During operation, thecathode 3 b emits electrons that migrate across a lamp arc gap and strike ananode 3 g. The electrons are emitted thermionically from thecathode 3 b, so the cathode tip must maintain a high temperature and low-electron-emission to function. - The
cathode struts 3 c hold thecathode 3 b rigidly in place and conduct current to thecathode 3 b. Thelamp window 3 d may be ground and polished single-crystal sapphire (AlO2). Sapphire allows thermal expansion of thewindow 3 d to match the flange thermal expansion of theflange 3 c so that a hermetic seal is maintained over a wide operating temperature range. The thermal conductivity of sapphire transports heat to theflange 3 c of the lamp and distributes the heat evenly to avoid cracking thewindow 3 d. Thegetters 3 e are wrapped around thecathode 3 b and placed on the struts. Thegetters 3 e absorb contaminant gases that evolve in the lamp during operation and extend lamp life by preventing the contaminants from poisoning thecathode 3 b and transporting unwanted materials onto areflector 3 k andwindow 3 d. Theanode assembly 3 f is composed of theanode 3 g, abase 3 h, and tabulation 3 i. Theanode 3 g is generally constructed from pure tungsten and is much blunter in shape than thecathode 3 b. This shape is mostly the result of the discharge physics that causes the arc to spread at its positive electrical attachment point. The arc is typically somewhat conical in shape, with the point of the cone touching thecathode 3 b and the base of the cone resting on theanode 3 g. Theanode 3 g is larger than thecathode 3 b, to conduct more heat. About 80% of the conducted waste heat in the lamp is conducted out through theanode 3 g, and 20% is conducted through thecathode 3 b. The anode is generally configured to have a lower thermal resistance path to the lamp heat sinks, so thelamp base 3 h is relatively massive. Thebase 3 h is constructed of iron or other thermally conductive material to conduct heat loads from thelamp anode 3 g. The tabulation 3 i is the port for evacuating thelamp 100 and filling it with Xenon gas. After filling, the tabulation 3 i is sealed, for example, pinched or cold-welded with a hydraulic tool, so thelamp 100 is simultaneously sealed and cut off from a filling and processing station. The reflector assembly 3j includes thereflector 3 k and two sleeves 3 l. Thereflector 3 k may be a nearly pure polycrystalline alumina body that is glazed with a high temperature material to give the reflector a specular surface. Thereflector 3 k is then sealed to its sleeves 3 l and a reflective coating is applied to the glazed inner surface. -
FIG. 3A shows a first perspective of acylindrical lamp 300. Twoarms chamber 320. Thearms electrodes chamber 320, and provide an electric field for ignition of the ionizable medium within thechamber 320. Electrical connections for theelectrodes arms - The
chamber 320 has aningress window 326 where laser light from a laser source (not shown) may enter thechamber 320. Similarly thechamber 320 has anegress window 328 where high intensity light from energized plasma may exit thechamber 320. Light from the laser is focused on the excited gas (plasma) to provide sustaining energy. The ionized media may be added to or removed from the chamber with a controlledhigh pressure valve 398. -
FIG. 3B shows a second perspective of thecylindrical lamp 300, by rotating the view ofFIG. 3A ninety degrees vertically. A controlledhigh pressure valve 398 is located substantially opposite the viewing window 310.FIG. 3C shows a second perspective of thecylindrical lamp 300, by rotating the view ofFIG. 3B ninety degrees horizontally. In general, the interior profile of thechamber 320 matches the exterior profile of thechamber 320. - An endoscope is an illuminated optical, typically slender and tubular instrument (a type of borescope) used to look deep into the body and used in procedures called an endoscopy. It is used to examine the internal organs like the throat or esophagus. Specialized instruments are named after their target organ. Examples include the cystoscope (bladder), nephroscope (kidney), bronchoscope (bronchus), arthroscope (joints) and colonoscope (colon), and laparoscope (abdomen or pelvis). They can be used to examine visually and diagnose, or assist in surgery such as an arthroscopy. Endoscope light generating sources are typically located remotely from a light emitting aperture near the illumination target. Light is conveyed from the light source to the emitting aperture via a light guide, such as an optical fiber.
- Minimally invasive endoscopic and robotic surgeries are driven by fiber optic light sources. The fibers are typically in the range of 3.0 to 4.8mm in diameter. However, present light sources may experience a loss of radiance that may be problematic for example, in the fields of endoscopic and robotic surgery practice. Furthermore, the diameter of the fibers guiding the light is more and more prohibitive in an environment where there is a need for imaging channels and in some cases tool actuation channels in the same fiber bundle. The present trend is to seek more information out of the available space which is driving the diameter of the fibers down. For example, smaller fiber bundles may enable procedures that are currently not possible with current methods and devices. Existing light sources don't have sufficient etendue to couple significant levels of light in a fiber having a diameter smaller than 3 mm. This results in insufficient light for cameras to render a sufficiently noise free image. Therefore, there is a need to address one or more of the above mentioned shortcomings.
- Embodiments of the present invention provide a laser sustained plasma and endoscopy light source. Briefly described, the present invention is directed to applications where high brightness or irradiance is delivered through small diameter light guides or fibers less than 1mm so more space is available for imaging fibers and/or laser delivery fibers.
- Other systems, methods and features of the present invention will be or become apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art upon examining the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, and features be included in this description, be within the scope of the present invention and protected by the accompanying claims.
- The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a high intensity lamp in exploded view. -
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the high intensity lamp ofFIG. 1 in cross-section view. -
FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of a cylindrical laser driven sealed beam lamp. -
FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of the cylindrical laser driven sealed beam lamp ofFIG. 3A from a second view. -
FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram of the cylindrical laser driven sealed beam lamp ofFIG. 3A from a third view. -
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary first embodiment of lamp having a cylindrical plasma lamp chamber. -
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary second embodiment of lamp having a parabolic plasma lamp chamber. -
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a method for producing high intensity light coupled to a small diameter light guide. -
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram detail of lamp electrodes for the first embodiment ofFIG. 4 . - The following definitions are useful for interpreting terms applied to features of the embodiments disclosed herein, and are meant only to define elements within the disclosure.
- As used within this disclosure, “black body” refers to an object capable of absorbing all the electromagnetic radiation falling on it. A black body maintained at a constant temperature is a full radiator at that temperature because the radiation reaching and leaving it must be in equilibrium. A black body spectrum refers to the spectrum of electromagnetic waves a black body is able to emit.
- As used within this disclosure, collimated light is light whose rays are substantially parallel, and therefore will spread minimally as it propagates.
- As used within this disclosure, “substantially” means “very nearly,” or within normal manufacturing tolerances. For example, a substantially flat window, while intended to be flat by design, may vary from being entirely flat based on variances due to manufacturing.
- Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
- As mentioned in the Background section, minimally invasive and robotic surgeries typically use fiber optic light sources in the 3.0 to 4.8mm diameter range. The following exemplary embodiments of the present invention describe an endoscopic light source configured to provide white light with a black body spectrum into a 200-500 micrometer fiber diameter.
- Under a first embodiment of an endoscopic
light source 400 as shown byFIG. 4 , acombination laser source 420 may include a plurality of laser driver units 102-104. Each laser driver unit 102-104 may emit a different wavelength/waveband and/or intensity of light. The light from the laser driver units 102-104 is combined in alight conduit 401, for example an optical fiber and emitted via anoptical expander 105. Egress optics for thecombination laser source 420 may be configured differently for alternative embodiments. Similarly, in alternative embodiments thecombination laser source 420 may include more than three driver units or less than three driver units. - A first
laser driver unit 102 provides a portion of thebeam 405. Thebeam 405 is collimated via aningress collimator 106 and focused into aplasma sustaining beam 407, for example, via focusingoptics 107. Theplasma sustaining beam 407 enters a sealed cylindrical chamber of alamp 108 via aningress window 109. For example, thelamp 108 may be a cylindrical lamp. The sealed chamber of thelamp 108 contains anionizable media 425, for example, Xenon, Krypton or a mix of Xenon and Krypton. Theionizable media 425, once ignited, forms aplasma 430 that emits ahigh intensity light 410. Theplasma 430 is sustained by the energy from the firstlaser driver unit 102 via theplasma sustaining beam 407. Theplasma 430 may be ignited (ionized) by anelectronic ignition module 114, for example,electrodes 790, 791 (FIG. 7 ). Theelectronic ignition module 114 may provide electrical power to theelectrodes arms 745, 746 (FIG. 7 ) of thelamp 108. Alternatively, theelectronic ignition module 114 may be omitted, and the plasma may be ignited without electrodes, for example via auto-ignition by the firstlaser driver unit 102. - The high
intensity egress light 410 exits the chamber of thelamp 108 via anegress window 110 and is optically coupled to anexit fiber 113. For example, the highintensity egress light 410 may be substantially white in color and may be collimated into acollimated beam 411 viaegress collimating optics 111, and then focused into aningress surface 413 of theexit fiber 113 viaegress focusing optics 112. For example, thecollimating optics 111 may be as simple as a single positive lens, a multi lens beam expander based on positive and negative lens assembly or a parabolic mirror or combination of parabolic mirror and a combination of positive and negative lenses. The light is emitted at anegress surface 414, for example, the egress surface located at a far end of an endoscope near an illumination target. Theexit fiber 113 has afiber diameter 415 in the range of, for example, 200-500 micrometers. - The first
laser driver unit 102, for example, a low power (150 Watt) 979 nm firstlaser driver unit 102, may generate a plasma in a Xenon, Krypton or mixed noble gas under pressures within thelamp 108 ranging from 10 bar to 50 bar with a plasma waist size of 150 microns or less that may be efficiently coupled into the diameter of theexit fiber 113, which is not possible with the standard endoscope light sources, for example a xenon short arc solution or non-laser solid state light sources. - A second
laser driver unit 104 having a wavelength different from the firstlaser driver unit 102. For example the secondlaser driver unit 104 may produce an 803 nm (or other wavelength) 10-100 mW beam that may be mixed with the plasma sustaining beam produced by firstlaser driver unit 102 for fluorescence based diagnostics. The light from the secondlaser driver unit 104 is preferably mixed with visible light at the output of thelamp 108 to excite dyes for fluorescence techniques. Alternatively, the fluorescence exciting beam produced by the secondlaser driver unit 104 may be mixed with the high intensity light at the output of thelamp 108. For example, the beams may be mixed using a dichroic coated mirror under 45 degrees that reflects one wavelength and passes the other wavelength, where the two beams to be mixed are orthogonal while the mixing mirror is under 45 degrees. Alternatively a mix cube may be used with the same functionality. The diagonal of the cube is the mixing surface while the facets where the beams enter (orthogonally) may be coated with specific coatings to shape the properties of said beams. - The first
laser driver unit 102, for example a 150 W laser diode stack is coupled, for example through beam correction optics (not shown) into alight conduit 401. Beam correction optics or shaping optics as described and needed here are used to shape the elevated diode stack light output having a different divergence in the horizontal and vertical plane into a more symmetrical beam pattern with mostly equal divergence in all directions. Thelight conduit 401 may be for example a 200 micrometer laser fiber keeping, for example, 95% of the power in a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.15 but other NA ranges may be practical, for example, 90% of power in a 0.2 NA or even 80% of power in a 0.3 NA. The latter two examples will exhibit lower system output but that may still be sufficient for some applications. - Since the first
laser driver unit 102 produces a beam that is not visible to the human eye, a thirdlaser driver unit 103 producing visible light, for example, a low power red laser under 5 mW may be mixed with the output of the firstlaser driver unit 102 and/ or the secondlaser driver unit 104 so the optical alignment of alloptical components lamp 108 can be performed using visible light instead of using other means, for example, IR convertors to visualize the location of the 979 nm wavelength beam. - The output of the
light conduit 401 may be terminated into a fiber connector (not shown) allowing for a modular approach to change out the laser drive unit(s) 102, 103, 104. The fiber connector is coupled to beam conditioning optics, for example, theoptical expander 105, theingress collimator 106, for example a collimating lens, and theingress focusing optics 107, for example a focusing lens. Theoptical expander 105 shapes the beam waist of the laser in the focusing point. The NA of theingress focusing optics 107 is preferably in the 0.4-0.6 range. - The focused output of this laser drive system including the
plasma sustaining beam 407 is delivered into thelamp ingress window 109. Under the first embodiment, the lamp may be configured as a cylindrical sealedcavity lamp 108, as shown inFIG. 4 with asapphire ingress window 109 for laser entry and asapphire egress window 110 for high intensity visible egress light. The cylindrical sealedcavity lamp 108 generates an expandingbeam 410 with a NA of 0.4-0.6.Egress collimating optics 111 receives and collimates the expandingbeam 410 to produce a collimatedhigh intensity beam 411, and anegress focusing optic 112 at the output of thelamp 108 focuses the collimated light 411 into afocused output light 412 which is introduced into theexit fiber 113. - A second exemplary embodiment of an endoscopic
light source 500 is shown inFIG. 5 . Thecombination laser source 420, thelamp ingress optics egress focusing optic 112 and theexit fiber 113 are substantially as described in the first embodiment shown byFIG. 4 . - Under the second
exemplary embodiment 500, the lamp may be configured as a parabolic reflectorcavity design lamp 208 with asapphire ingress window 109 for laser entry and asapphire egress window 110 for high intensity visible egress light. Thelamp ingress optics plasma sustaining beam 407 to a lampfocal region 530 of the parabolic reflectorcavity design lamp 208, so theplasma 430 energized by theplasma sustaining beam 407 is located at the lampfocal region 530. The parabolic reflectorcavity design lamp 208 reflects the high intensity light generated by theplasma 430 to produce acollimated beam 511 with a beam size limited by a diameter theegress window 110 and a configurable divergence. It should be noted that since the divergence of a parabolic reflector is determined by the diameter (or aperture) of the parabolic mirror (assuming the parabolic mirror is fully filled by the expanded light) divided by the light source (plasma) point size using, for example, a point size on the order of 150 micron, the divergence is about eight times smaller than a typical xenon lamp for endoscopy, thereby coupling more light into theexit fiber 113 than previous techniques. Theegress focusing optic 112 at the output of thelamp 208 focuses the collimatedbeam 511 into afocused output light 512 which is introduced into theexit fiber 113. -
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a method for producing high intensity light coupled to a small diameter light guide. It should be noted that any process descriptions or blocks in flowcharts should be understood as representing modules, segments, portions of code, or steps that include one or more instructions for implementing specific logical functions in the process, and alternative implementations are included within the scope of the present invention in which functions may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those reasonably skilled in the art of the present invention. The method is described with reference toFIG. 4 andFIG. 6 . - A
plasma sustaining beam 407 having a power at or below 150 W is generated, for example, by a firstlaser driver unit 102 as shown byblock 610. One or more other light sources may be mixed into the plasma sustaining laser beam, for example, an output of a secondlaser driver unit 104 producing a wavelength different from the firstlaser driver unit 102, for example, an 803 nm 10-30 mW laser ±15 nm, and/or an output of a thirdlaser driver unit 103 producing visible light, for example, a low power red laser. The secondlaser driver unit 104 preferably produces 5-10 mW of equivalent power. - An
ionizable medium 425 is ignited within a sealed chamber of alamp 108 to form aplasma 430, as shown byblock 620. For example, the ionizable medium 425 may be Xenon, Krypton, or a mixture of Xenon and Krypton, among others. The ionizable medium 425 may be ignited, for example, with a pair ofelectrodes 790, 791 (FIG. 7 ) extending into the chamber of thelamp 108, by the firstlaser driver unit 102, and/or by non-electrode ignition agents (not shown). Theplasma sustaining beam 407 is introduced into the sealed chamber of thelamp 108 via aningress window 109, and theplasma sustaining beam 407 provides energy to sustain theplasma 430 as shown byblock 630. - The
plasma 430 is sustained within the chamber of thelamp 108 with a plasma waist size of 150 microns or below as shown byblock 640. For example, the waist size may be controlled via the power level of the firstlaser driver unit 102, and/or by thelamp ingress optics plasma 430 emits ahigh intensity light 410, for example, a visible light exhibiting a black box spectra. The chamber of thelamp 108 emits the high intensity light 410 generated by theplasma 430 through achamber egress window 110 as shown byblock 650. The high intensity light 410 may be collimated into acollimated beam 411 viaegress collimating optics 111, and then focused to form afocused output light 412. Thefocused output light 412 is coupled into anexit fiber 113 having a diameter of 500 μm or less as shown byblock 660, for example, 200-500 micrometers. - It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
Claims (16)
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US18/486,442 US20240098867A1 (en) | 2018-12-06 | 2023-10-13 | Laser sustained plasma and endoscopy light source |
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US17/977,870 US11825588B2 (en) | 2018-12-06 | 2022-10-31 | Laser sustained plasma and endoscopy light source |
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US20210085170A1 (en) * | 2019-09-23 | 2021-03-25 | Nanosurgery Technology Corporation | Light engine for imaging system |
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JP3621704B2 (en) | 1995-09-26 | 2005-02-16 | カール.ストルツ.ゲゼルシャフト.ミット.ベシュレンクテル.ハフツング.ウント.カンパニー | Photodynamic diagnostic equipment |
JP2002500907A (en) | 1998-01-26 | 2002-01-15 | マサチユセツツ・インスチチユート・オブ・テクノロジイ | Endoscope for fluorescence imaging |
CN1341003A (en) | 1999-01-26 | 2002-03-20 | 牛顿实验室公司 | Autofluorescence imaging system for endoscopy |
JP4390096B2 (en) | 2001-07-06 | 2009-12-24 | 富士フイルム株式会社 | Endoscope device |
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JP5028008B2 (en) | 2004-12-08 | 2012-09-19 | オリンパス株式会社 | Fluorescence endoscope device |
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US7989786B2 (en) * | 2006-03-31 | 2011-08-02 | Energetiq Technology, Inc. | Laser-driven light source |
ATE506000T1 (en) | 2008-06-04 | 2011-05-15 | Fujifilm Corp | LIGHTING DEVICE FOR USE IN ENDOSCOPES |
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JP2013519211A (en) | 2010-02-09 | 2013-05-23 | エナジェティック・テクノロジー・インコーポレーテッド | Laser-driven light source |
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JP5371946B2 (en) | 2010-12-24 | 2013-12-18 | 富士フイルム株式会社 | Endoscopic diagnosis device |
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WO2016030485A1 (en) | 2014-08-28 | 2016-03-03 | Asml Netherlands B.V. | Laser-driven photon source and inspection apparatus including such a laser-driven photon source |
US10057973B2 (en) * | 2015-05-14 | 2018-08-21 | Excelitas Technologies Corp. | Electrodeless single low power CW laser driven plasma lamp |
JP6364050B2 (en) | 2016-09-13 | 2018-07-25 | パナソニック株式会社 | Endoscope system |
AU2017387099B2 (en) * | 2016-12-27 | 2023-02-02 | DePuy Synthes Products, Inc. | Systems, methods, and devices for providing illumination in an endoscopic imaging environment |
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JP2020505733A (en) | 2017-01-19 | 2020-02-20 | エクセリタス テクノロジーズ コーポレイション | Electrodeless single low power CW laser driven plasma lamp |
CN113228228A (en) | 2018-12-06 | 2021-08-06 | 埃塞力达技术新加坡有限私人贸易公司 | Laser sustained plasma and endoscope light source |
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US11533800B2 (en) | 2022-12-20 |
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